Dumbbell Straight Legs Deadlift

The Dumbbell Straight Legs Deadlift targets the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. This exercise improves strength and stability in the posterior chain.

  1. Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand in front of your thighs.
  2. Keep your legs straight but not locked, and hinge at the hips to lower the dumbbells towards the ground.
  3. Maintain a flat back and engage your core throughout the movement.
  4. Return to the starting position by driving your hips forward and standing tall.

How to perform the Dumbbell Straight Legs Deadlift

  1. Set up. Set up in a stable, balanced starting position appropriate for the Dumbbell Straight Legs Deadlift using your dumbbell.
  2. Brace and execute. Brace your core, control the descent, and move through a full pain-free range of motion while emphasizing your glutes.
  3. Reset. Reverse the movement under control and reset between repetitions, keeping your form crisp on every rep.

Coaching cues

  • Move with intent — every rep should feel deliberate, not rushed.
  • Drive force through your glutes rather than momentum.
  • Keep your breathing steady: exhale on the hard part, inhale on the reset.

Common mistakes

  • Using too much weight and losing positional control.
  • Cutting the range of motion short and missing the target muscle.
  • Letting your spine round or hyperextend instead of staying neutral.

Detailed cues, common mistakes, and demonstration video are available in the Fitly app.

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